Promote use of technology for legislative work: Speaker

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 21

Amid the Covid lockdown across the country, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday urged state Assemblies to explore the feasibility of extensive use of digital technology both for legislative and financial work.

The Speaker’s stress on making use of technology comes at a time when Parliaments in the United Kingdom and Canada are moving ahead to hold virtual session of the House of Commons while battling Covid-19 through similar lockdown in force.

After a 27-day lockdown, secretariats of both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on a limited strength resumed work on Monday amid news of a housekeeper of the Lok Sabha Secretariat testing positive for the virus, a parliament official said.

On Tuesday, the Speaker interacted with presiding officers of state Assemblies through video conference stating, “Assemblies and Parliament must adopt technology for functioning more effectively.” He also underscored that presiding officers should ensure routine meetings and movement of files are made following stringent social distancing norms, a Lok Sabha Secretariat Press and Public Relations release said.

At the interaction, he said the four committees of presiding officers constituted to go into matters relating to disruptions in the House, Autonomy of Legislatures, 10th Schedule of the Constitution and Information Technology and related issues have made progress and are expected to submit reports in due course.

The House of Commons will vote in London on Tuesday for a hybrid session which allows a maximum of 50 MPs inside the house keeping in view the social distancing norm. Up to 120 MPs can take part from remote locations in the session asking questions to ministers along with those present in the House.

When the news about the decision of UK Parliament to set up virtual parliament during Covid shutdown came on April 2, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh tagged the news item to Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, stating, “This is something for you to consider, Respected Chairman-garu.”

Similarly, the lower House in Canadian Parliament is preparing to hold two virtual sittings on Tuesday and Thursday per week once technology is in place.

The House that met on Monday adjourned till May 25 amid debate on allowing one in-person meeting between two virtual sittings. 

25K Covid-related plaints redressed

New Delhi: Jitendra Singh, MoS in the Prime Minister’s Office, has said over 25,000 public grievances related to the Covid-19 pandemic have been redressed till date. Complimenting the work done by officials of the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) and the handlers of the national monitoring dashboard, the minister said with their prompt and round-the-clock follow up, it became possible to limit the average disposal time of a grievance to 1.57 days. TNS